"At law, the State must take reasonable legislative and other measures, within the limits of the resources available to it, to achieve the progressive realisation of the rights set out in this section.

"Authorities and Parliament need to show seriousness by enacting legislation to criminalise the destruction of wetlands and the indiscriminate cutting-down of trees.

"There should be stiffer penalties to deter the offenders. We need sustainable afforestation projects."

Chamisa added: "We aim to plant two million trees annually until 2026 and even beyond. All our cities, towns, villages and communities must be climate smart, making Zimbabwe a wholly green country by 2026."